Caught Me
by Emerald Sage
Summary: What would happen that night of the Riddles' murders, if Tom's father really loved his son?  What would happen, if he succeeded where everyone else failed with his son?  OneShot!


DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER

...

Age 8:

I ran through the woods near the orphanage, hoping they wouldn't catch me. I heard the patter of feet behind me, but I was too scared to care. I turned left, than right, than left, and stopped. Panic rose within me as I stared at the wall of trees before me. It cut me off from the rest of the forest.

"It's the Freak!" I heard a voice shout behind me.

I didn't have a chance to move before two people grabbed me. The leader of the gang punched me in the stomach, I would've doubled over if they hadn't been holding me. He aimed a fist at my face, giving me a nice shiner I would have trouble explaining at the orphanage when I got back. When I saw the kick coming towards me, I corrected one thing:

_If_ I got back.

The kick hit me, and by the time they were finished with me, I felt like a tractor had plowed me into the ground and something roughly pulled me out again. They let go of me and ran off.

When I fell to the ground, nobody caught me.

Age 11:

I was finally here, I was finally at Hogwarts!

The first years went towards the groundskeeper, towards the boats in the lake. I was excited, and it probably showed. This was one rare time I wasn't acting, I was truly excited.

Several of the kids were mocking me on the train, because I didn't know who my father was, and they called me _mudblood._ I found out what that meant, but I didn't exactly know if I was one or not, not yet. Two of those kids were sitting behind me. I was excited, but I kept myself on guard. Apparently, it was not enough.

When the groundskeeper told us to duck, I did...and the boys behind me pushed me into the lake. I was underneath the boat, and when it passed I rose to the surface again. The groundskeeper spotted me and pulled me out. I thanked him, and he cast a drying charm on me.

When his back was turned, the boys pointed at me, and then at each other. Oh joy, another set of bullies.

When I had fallen into the lake, no one had caught me.

Age 16:

I walked up the path to the manor, anger simmering in my veins.

Riddle Manor was up ahead, my father inside it.

I forced the door open with a simple unlocking charm. I had no trouble finding the dining room, and I cast a _bombarda _hex, assuring that their attention would be on me.

When I stepped into the room, the three were sitting there. My grandparents, looking at the door in alarm, and flicking back to their son in disgust. My father simply looked interested and wary.

Not the reaction I was expecting.

When I stepped into the light, my grandparents gasped, a look of disgust and horror on their face. My father, he was...happy?

_ What_ was going on?

My grandmother began to rant in a high pitched squeal, as soon as she learned who I was. The rant carried many things, horrid stuff about my mother, me, how I should've died, insulting me...sufice to say, I lost my temper about half-way through, and shot the killing curse towards her without a thought.

My grandfather was next. He had continued the rant as soon as my grandmother was dead. I sent the curse towards him too, his eyes going wide at the end.

And then I turned to my father.

He hadn't said one word during the whole thing. He seemed oddly happy to see his parents die, killed at the hand of his sixteen year old son.

Before I could say anything, he cut me off, telling me everything.

_Everything_.

How he really loved my mother, and married her. How my grandparents hated her, and tried to kill her once they learned she was pregnant. How they staged a fallout to protect her and me. How my mother had fallen unexpectedly ill and died after giving birth to me. How he would watch me at the orphanage, unable to help, but always there. And he showed me his memories, he knew of legilimency. He knew I knew how to do it.

And after everything he showed me, I fell to my knees, emothionally and physically exhausted.

This time, my father caught me.

FIN

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Emrys & Emeralds :)


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